Weaving



July 18, 1939.

a. E. WEBSTER ET AL WEAVING Filed Oct; 14, 1937 INVENTORS GEORGIA E. WEBSTER RIG/MRO H. WEVTER 0 @1515. am!

77/67,? ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATES.

PATENT ()F'FICE 2,166,668 WEAVING Application October 14, 1937, Serial No. 168,872

15 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to weaving, and particularly to an apparatus for homecraft weaving. As to common subject matter this ap plication isa continuation in part of our prior copending application, Serial No. 38,904, filed September 3, 1935 now Patent No. 2.096,659.

In the art of weaving textile fabrics a series of warp strands are arranged so that they may be relatively moved in order to provide a plurality of different sheds into which alternate weft strands may be inserted. In the carrying out of weaving operations upon the conventional loom, the series of warp strands are advanced together from a roll or supply of warp material, and are then diverged through the agency of heddles in order to provide space between some of the warp strands and others, through which space the weft may be inserted. The insertion of the weft in this manner requires that the strand of weft material be shot, or otherwise passed axially through an enclosed space. V

The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide a weaving apparatus wherein the weft may be inserted straightwise into an open 25 she'd: I

A 'further object of the present invention is to provide a weaving apparatus of the type referred towhich may be economically manufactured, and which may be conveniently manipulated and operated for small scale weaving operations, such as would be involved in homecraft weaving,

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in' the art when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevation of a partly loaded weaving apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 21s a view in end elevation of the weaving apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3,-3. of Figure 1;

Figure 4 isla detail view showing the manner of supporting the textile warp in the weaver of the. present invention; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the tip shown in Figure 4.

In accordance with the present invention, generally stated, a weaving apparatus is provided having a plurality of temporary warp rods, each arranged to hold a permanent textile warp strand in substantial alinement therewith. Such temporary warp rods are, in accordance with the present invention, supported at one end only thereof; that is, in cantilever relation with a suitable supporting element, and such warp rods are so constructed and arranged that they may be freely bowed to a substantial extent without exceeding their elastic limit. In accordance with the present invention a group of the temporary warp rods may be bent or bowed relative to another group of temporary warp rods, whereby a space or shed is formed between the respective groups of rods. Since the temporary warp rods are supported in cantilever relation, the free ends of the rods are unobstructed so that a textile strand or filler of weft material may be laid in str-aightwise through the open shed provided between the bent and unbent temporary warp rods.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the permanent textile warp, which is supported by each of the temporary warp rods, may be anchored remote from the free ends of the rods to a suitable member which is mounted for adjustment relative to the warp-rods and there. supported so that upon adjustment of the position of such. an anchoring member, the tension of the permanent textile warp may be regulated, and controlled.

In order to accomplish the shedding of the warp elements of the present invention, a suitable means may be provided for bending a selected groupof temporary warp rodsrelative to another selected group, which latter group, it will be understood, may remain unbent or may be bent in the opposite direction. to the first group. In the embodiment illustrated in the. drawing the means for accomplishing such shedding of the warp elements is provided in a simple and convenient form by causing the temporary warp rods to be so arranged in a support that the free ends of. the rods, constituting. one group, extend. above the free ends. of the rods, constituting the other group. By thus arranging the rods a suitable bar may bepressed against the extended portions of the longer rods so as to bend them in the direction desired. Other suitable means as, for example a notched bar or a series of cams may be employed for bowing the selected group of warp rods, and in such case it will. be understood that the warp rods are not necessarily of different lengths.

Referring now particularly to the drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a series of resilient warp rods I and 2 may be mounted in cantilever relation in a suitable base 3. As. shownin the. drawing, the warp rods I constitute a. group which are somewhat longer than the warp rods. which constitute group 2 so that the ends of the rods of group I extend above the ends of the rods of group 2. The warp rods may be formed of circular section steel wire of a diameter so proportioned to the length thereof that they are sufiiciently resilient to permit substantial bowing with ease, and without exceeding their elastic limit. While the rods I and 2 are shown as straight, although displaced, in Figure 2 of the drawing, it will be understood that in normal operation the rods are actually bowed in displacement but for the sake of simplifying the drawing, they have been shown straight.

The support 3 may comprise a suitable clamping arrangement for holding the warp rods I and 2 in the desired relation. For example, in

the embodiment shown in the drawing, the support 3 is composed of a member 4 having a groove 5 cut in one face thereof, and arranged to be complemental with a member 6 extending along and closing groove 5. Suitable fastening devices, such as screws I, having wing nuts 8 provided for convenient manipulation may be eniployed for retaining the members 4 and 6 in cooperative relation. Groove 5, in accordance with the embodiment shown in the drawing, may be lined with a suitable compressible material, such as sponge rubber, felt or the like. In the embodiment shown in the drawing the compressible lining is formed of two strips of felt 9 and In between which the ends of warp rods I and 2 are seated. By thus providing support 3 with a compressible gripping lining the ends of the warp rods I and 2 are securely held during any established adjustment thereof; but, if it is desired to vary the spacing between the warp rods, or to vary the direction in which they extend relative to each other, or relative to the base,

such a compressible material, as felt, enables this to be done as, upon tightening the fastening elements I and 8, the ends of the respective rods will seat themselves in the felt linings 9 and I0, regardless of the position or direction in which the rods are extending. Moreover, when the fastening devices I, 8 on support 3 are released, the respective warp rods may be withdrawn and arranged in any other desired relation therein, the

a; felt or other such compressible material yielding to accommodate the new positions of the rods.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing,

each of the temporary warp rods I and 2 is formed of a slender wire which is capable of being bent out of its normal position to an extent sufficient to permit a convenient insertion and manipulation of the warp or filler strands. Each of the temporary rods is provided with a tip II arranged for connecting with a textile warp lstrand. Such a tip II may advantageously be formed of a size such that it has at least one diametrical dimension greater than the diameter of the rods itself. As shownin the drawing, the tips II are of generally cylindrical form and .provided with a furcation I2 through which a textilewarp strand may be extended and secured.

Such tips II may advantageously be formed of a moldable material, such as a plastic. For

sexample, a great variety of synthetic resins including the phenol-formaldehyde condensation products, known as Bakelite, courmarone, indene, vinyl resins, and other thermo-setting and thermo-plastio, natural or synthetic, resins which are moldable, are suitable materials from which tips Il may be made. When the tips II are made from such moldable materials, they may be either separately cast with a socket I3 into which the ends of the respective warp rods may be inserted and secured, or they may be cast in situ upon the warp rods. By the use of tips formed of such moldable materials, however, the apparatus is freed of burrs which have a tendency to snag the textile materials, but it is diflicult to accomplish this without the provision of a smooth molded shell or tip upon the free ends of the wires which constitute the warp rods.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the weaving apparatus is provided with a pair of bases I4, each connected through a double hinge joint I to support 3. By thus providing a plurality of separately adjustable base members the weaving apparatus is adapted for placement in a variety of positions regardless of the evenness of the surfaces upon which it may be used. In accomplishing the double hinge connection, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, each of the bases I4 may be provided with a lug I6 having pivoted thereto, a shank II, for rotation about an axis I8. Shank II extends through an aperture I9 provided therefor in the members of base 3 and on its opposite end may be provided with a wing nut 20. With the arrangement just described, it will be understood that the base I4 is rotatable relative to base 3 about shank II as an axis. At the same time the base I4 is rotatable about axis IB, and consequently movement in any direction may be accomplished. When, however, wing nut is tightened so as to draw the sides of base 3 into braking contact with the arcuate surface of lug I6, the parts are clamped in the selected position. but, of course, upon releasing wing nut 20, any desired position may be assumed.

In the use of the weaving apparatus of the present invention, a textilewarp 2| is connected with the tips II of each of the resilient warp rods I: and 2. The lower end of strand of textile warp; is then anchored to an anchoring device, such as bar 22. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, bar 22 is movable relative to the warp rods I and 2 and the base 3 and is supported entirely through the agency of the plurality of textile warp strands 2I, the lower ends of which are anchored thereto. In the use of the apparatus, independent textile warp strands may be employed for each warp rod, or a continuous warp strand may be employed. In the latter event, the anchoring bar 22 may have one or more turns of textile warp strands taken therearound between the respective temporary warp rods. As shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, the temporary warp rods are provided with a double textile warp; that is to say, a strand extending up one side and down the other of each of the temporary warp rods, but it will be understood that a single strand may be employed. When the plural textile warp strands are employed, however, it is possible to weave fabric of greater length than the length of the temporary warp rods. This is accomplished by first weaving a block of a size which will be accommodated by the apparatus, upon the plural textile warp, then pulling out one leg of the plural warp strands so as to leave at least one strand of textile warp in the fabric already woven; thereby a surplus length of warp is provided for continuation of the fabric.

After each of the temporary warp rods has been provided with its textile warp, the anchoring bar 22 may be secured, as, for instance, by being tied down to the base through a cord 23, as shown in Figure 2, so as to place the respective textile warp strands under the desired degree of tension.

With the textile warp thus applied, the warp may be shedded, as, for example, by placing a shedding bar 24 in contact with the extended ends of warp rods l, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, and forcing the ends of the warp rods l in the desired direction relative to warp rods 2. Any suitable bar or staff having a length sufi1- cient to contact with the span of warp rods which it is desired to bow, for the accomplishment of a given shed, may be used for this purpose; and after the longer rods have been bowed in the desired direction to provide a shed, such as-25, to the left of the warp rods 2 (as shown inFigure 2), or a shed, such as 26, to the right of warp rods 2, a textile filler or weft strand, such as 21, may be laid in the open shed thus provided. If it is desired to temporarily lock the warp'elements in shedded relation, the shedding bar 24 may be moved downwardly in the shed into the position illustrated in full lines in Figures 1 and 2, and then the textile weft strand 2? may be inserted and moved past the shedding bar 24 while in this locked position. The first weft strand applied will be combed downwardly into a position adjacent anchoring bar 22. Thereafter shedding bar 24 will be removed and applied in the opposite direction in order to bow warp rods l to the right (as seen in Figure 2) and provide an opposite shed 26 into which the next successive shot of weft may be laid. These operations are repeated until the desired length of fabric is obtained.

It will be understood that the closer shedding bar 24 is forced toward the fabric already woven on the device the more the last applied weft strands will be stretched, and hence the looser will be the fabric. The bar 24, therefore, provides a convenient means for regulating the tightness of the weaving.

If, it is desired to make a fabric wider than the loom,'individual weft strands of the desired lengths may be employed at each shot. The ends of such strands are left loose to be picked. up and-loaded into the temporary warp rods after the initial block of weaving has been completed, and the rods removed from all save the one or two textile'warp strands which are immediately adjacent the edge from which the loose weft strands extend as described in said copending application. For example, if the loose ends of the warp strands are left on the right-hand side of the device during the weaving of the initial block of fabric, the last few temporary warp rods on the right-hand side of the device are removed from support 3 and placed at the lefthand side thereof with the already formed block of weaving extending beyond the device on the left side. The loose ends of the warp strands are then loaded into the series of warp rods arranged to the right of those remaining in the original block of weaving.

While in the foregoing description, and in the accompanying drawing, the apparatus is illustrated-in a simple form and the description of the operation thereof has been confined to simple weaving; that is to say, with only two alternate sheds, it will be understood that by appropriate grouping and manipulation of the temporary warp rods in order to form sheds, a multiplicity of different sheds is possible, and consequently complicated and variegated weaving may be accomplished upon the device. Furthermore, while the apparatus has been illustrated with only two lengths of warp rods, it willbe understood that an apparatus may be provided having rods with three, or even more, different lengths of :temporary warp rods, thereby increasing the number of possible shedded relations, and consequently increasing the versatility of the apparatus. Furthermore, while the apparatus has been .illustrated as provided with only nineteen temporary warp rods, and these have been shown in sub-- stantially spaced relation, it will be understood that any number of such rods may be provided,

and that they may be arranged in any desired spaced relation, or in a relation where thesupported ends are contiguous with each other. In the making of close weaves the rodsmay even be arranged in diametrically overlapping relation. This may be accomplished by arranging the rods in a plurality of rows inthe support 3., in which case, if desired for greater security, a separate strip of compressible material, such as felt, may be interposed between the rows of rods.

The weaving apparatus of the present invention lends itself to the making of tapestry and other complicated forms of weaving, as each warp rod may .be worked independently .so that the weft can be looped or knotted thereabout tothe extent desired. The flexibility of the warp rods facilitates this operation as the warp rod, being treated at the moment, may-be drawn out of alinement with its companions so that the weft or filler strand may be looped, or knotted, without interference from' the other warp rods.

Moreover, the anchoring bar 22 may be secured in a suitable manner at a point remote frombase 3 and the weaving formed directly upon the textile warp. In this case, however, open sheds are not provided, but the weft is inserted through an enclosed shed which may be alternated or varied by bowing the warp rods in the manner, and to the extent, desired for forming the sheds. In

this case, therefore, the textile warp strands will each have an end connected toa warp rod, but the weft will not be applied upon the rods as .a temporary warp. Consequently when a given warp rod, or series thereof, is movedor bowed relative to the others the adjacent textile warp strands will be moved into aspaced relation-with the plane of the others, thusproducing a shed through which the weft strand may be shot. In the case of such use, the rods I and :2 not not as temporary warp, but perform a function analogous to the heddle of an ordinary loom.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that the present invention accomplishes its objects and that a weaving apparatus is provided upon which small scale weaving operations may be carried out with great convenience. Furthermore the weaving apparatus is highlyversatile in that upon it not only simple weaving, but complicated and fancy weaving, may be done.

While in the. foregoing disclosure, reference has been made to one specific embodimentof the weaving apparatus, and a number of operations of the samehave been described,,it is not. to be understood that the invention is limited to the specific details of such embodiment, nor to the use of such apparatus in the operations which have been described. On the contrary it is to be distinctly understood that such individual features and combinations of features as well as such modifications and applications thereof as present themselves to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of this invention are, although not specifically described herein, contemplated by and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, means on the free ends of said rods for engaging a textile Warp, and textile warp anchoring means arranged adjacent said support for movement relative thereto.

2. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, means on the free ends of said rods for engaging a textile warp, textile warp anchoring means arranged adjacent said support for movement relative thereto, said support being provided with a base, and a hinged connection between said base and said support.

3. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient Warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, a furcated tip on each of said rods, said tips. being of larger diameter than the rods, and textile warp anchoring means arranged adjacent said support for movement relative thereto.

4. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, a textile-warpengaging tip on each of said rods, said tips being of molded plastic material, and textile warp anchoring means arranged adjacent said support for movement relative thereto.

5. A warp rod for a weaving apparatus comprising, a resilient metallic rod, and a plastic tip on one end of said rod, said tip having a recess for engaging and holding a textile warp strand below the extremity of the tip.

6. A warp rod for a weaving apparatus comprising, a resilient metallic rod, and a tip on one end of said rod, said tip being larger in a diametrical direction than the rod and having a slot therein for engaging a textile warp strand.

7. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, all said rods being freely bendable relative to each other, and some of said rods being longer than others.

8. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, all said rods being freely bendable relative to each other, some of said rods being longer than others, and a shift bar engageable with either side of the extended portions of the longer rods for simultaneously bending the same relative to the shorter rods to form a shed for reception of a warp strand.

9. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, all said rods being freely bendable relative to each other, some of said rods being longer than others, a shift bar engageable with either side of the extended portions of the longer rods for simultaneously bending the same relative to the shorter rods to form a shed for reception of a warp strand, said shift bar being free for movement in the shed between the longer and shorter rods to maintain the same in shedded relation.

10. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, means on the free ends of said rods for engaging a textile warp depending from said means, a bar extending transversely of said rods and movable relative to said support, said bar being connected with the strands of said textile warp.

11. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods beingsupported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, a base, an arouate lug on said base, said lug having a shank pivoted centrally thereof, said shank extending through said support, and means on said shank for drawing said lug into braking engagement with the surface of said support.

12. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, a base, and a hinge connection between said base and said support.

13. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support, a series of resilient warp rods, said warp rods being supported in cantilever relation by said support and having their unsupported ends free for movement relative to each other, a plurality of base members, and hinge connections between each of said base members and said support.

14. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support having a warp rod receiving space, a lining of compressible material in said space, a series of resilient warp rods each having one end seated in said space, and means for clamping said compressible material about the warp rods in said space.

15. Weaving apparatus comprising, a support having a warp rod receiving space, a felt lining in said space, a series of resilient warp rods each having one end seated in said space, and means for clamping the felt about the warp rods in said space.

; GEORGIA E. WEBSTER. RICHARD H. WEBSTER. 

